Aflatoun

Last updated
Aflatoun International
Founded2005 by Jeroo Billimoria
in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Type Non-governmental organization
FocusSocial and Financial Education for Children and Young People
Area served
Worldwide
Website http://www.aflatoun.org

Aflatoun International is a non-governmental organization focusing on educating children about their rights and responsibilities and managing financial resources through social and financial education. Headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Aflatoun programmes, consisting of Aflatot, Aflatoun and Aflateen, are currently implemented in 116 countries by its 192 partner organizations. Aflatoun International is annually reaching 4 million children around the world of which 60% are saving money. [1]

Contents

Social and financial education

Aflatoun International provides children with social and financial education. Through balancing social learning and financial concepts, the Aflatoun programmes empower children to believe in themselves, know their rights and responsibilities, understand and practice saving and spending, and start their own enterprises. [2] These can include organizing social campaigns, setting up savings systems and starting small scale financial enterprises. Through the notion of Social & Financial Education, children are empowered to make a positive change in their lives and in their communities, with the aim of ultimately leading them to breaking the cycle of poverty in which many find themselves. [3]

Background

The inspiration for Aflatoun comes from Jeroo Billimoria, an Indian national who grew up and worked among the street children of Mumbai. [2] Seeing that many of these children were quite entrepreneurial, she thought it important that children be able to understand their self-worth, rights, and be able to manage their own resources.

The Aflatoun concept was first tested in India 18 years ago, introducing financial concepts in a school-based child rights programme. Billimoria saw that the children reacted well to the games, activities and songs. Due to this success, other countries were approached to discuss whether a similar concept could bring the same benefits to their communities. [2]

In November 2005, the Aflatoun Network was formally launched in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. A global initiative involving ten more countries began, and today Aflatoun is active in 109 countries. In March 2008, Aflatoun's worldwide campaign for Child Social and Financial Education was launched with the help of the Netherlands' Princess Maxima. It achieved its goal of reaching 75 countries and 1 million children by 2010.

Name and Character

The name Aflatoun was chosen by the children who first participated in the program in India and is based on a Bollywood movie they liked (Aflatoon). The chosen character is portraying a little fireball from outer space. Aflatoun was created to lead children through their learning journey and help to create emotional attachment between children and the program material. Thus, the Aflatoun character is the unifying symbol that brings together all the Aflatoun children around the world. [2]

Network

The Aflatoun Network is a participative and inclusive network of organizations who bring the programme to children. The Aflatoun programme is delivered by local partners at the country-level as they best understand the local context. They become the owners of the programme, contextualising the materials and training teachers. The Secretariat in Amsterdam serves as a resource centre for the partners to facilitate information flow and capacity building. Also included in the Aflatoun Network are stakeholders such as financial institutions, microfinance institutions, corporations, researchers, International non-governmental organizations, multilaterals and bilaterals, among others.

Related Research Articles

Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights. Empowerment as action refers both to the process of self-empowerment and to professional support of people, which enables them to overcome their sense of powerlessness and lack of influence, and to recognize and use their resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International development</span> Concept concerning the level of development on an international scale

International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic or human development on an international scale. It is the basis for international classifications such as developed country, developing country and least developed country, and for a field of practice and research that in various ways engages with international development processes. There are, however, many schools of thought and conventions regarding which are the exact features constituting the "development" of a country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth empowerment</span> Process where young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives

Youth empowerment is a process where children and young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives. They do this by addressing their situation and then take action in order to improve their access to resources and transform their consciousness through their beliefs, values, and attitudes. Youth empowerment aims to improve quality of life. Youth empowerment is achieved through participation in youth empowerment programs. However scholars argue that children's rights implementation should go beyond learning about formal rights and procedures to give birth to a concrete experience of rights. There are numerous models that youth empowerment programs use that help youth achieve empowerment. A variety of youth empowerment initiatives are underway around the world. These programs can be through non-profit organizations, government organizations, schools or private organizations.

The Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation, or CHRR, is a human rights non-governmental organisation in Malawi. It was founded in February 1995 as a non-profit, apolitical, voluntary organization registered under the Trustees Incorporation Act of 1962. The organization was founded by former students exiles who returned home to the promises of a new democracy in 1994.

Human rights education (HRE) is the learning process that seeks to build up knowledge, values, and proficiency in the rights that each person is entitled to. This education teaches students to examine their own experiences from a point of view that enables them to integrate these concepts into their values, decision-making, and daily situations. According to Amnesty International, HRE is a way to empower people, training them so their skills and behaviors will promote dignity and equality within their communities, societies, and throughout the world.

The second goal in the United Nations Millennium Development Goal is to achieve Universal Primary Education, more specifically, to "ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike will be required to complete a full course of primary schooling." Education is vital to meeting all other Millennium Development Goals: "Educating children gives the next generation the tools to fight poverty and prevent disease, including malaria and AIDS." Despite the significance of investing in education, the recent report, Fixing the Broken Promise of Education for All: Findings from the Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children—produced by UNESCO Institute for Statistics and UNICEF found that the world has missed this 2015 target of universal primary education, and there are currently 58 million children, of primary school age, out of school worldwide.

Dance4life is an international youth initiative to raise awareness and promote prevention of HIV/AIDS.

A Practice Enterprise is a practice company that runs like a real business silhouetting a real enterprise's business procedures, products and services. A Practice Enterprise resembles a real company in its form, organization and function. Each Practice Enterprise trades with other Practice Enterprises, following standard commercial business procedures in the Practice Enterprise worldwide economic environment. It offers a ‘learning-by-doing’ training programme with the aim to better prepare young people for their future careers and to increase their entrepreneurship potential through running their own Practice Enterprise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Uganda</span> Overview of the status of women in Uganda

Women in Uganda have substantial economic and social responsibilities throughout Uganda's many traditional societies. Ugandan women come from a range of economic and educational backgrounds. Despite economic and social progress throughout the country, domestic violence and sexual assault remain prevalent issues in Uganda. Illiteracy is directly correlated to increased level of domestic violence. This is mainly because household members can not make proper decisions that directly affect their future plans. Government reports suggest rising levels of domestic violence toward women that are directly attributable to poverty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North–South Centre</span> Building in Lisbon, Portugal

The North–South Centre, officially the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity, is a Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe, the oldest political organisation of European states.

Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE) is a UK-based international foundation dedicated to unlocking the creativity of children and young people in and out of formal education. This is done primarily through designing and implementing programmes which improve the quality and reach of cultural education, and use culture and the arts to improve the quality and impact of general education, working with partners from around the world.

Tzedek is a UK-based registered charity organisation which aims to provide a Jewish response to the problem of extreme global poverty. Registered as a charity in 1993, Tzedek has a number of overseas development programmes, working closely with local NGOs to alleviate extreme poverty in Northern Ghana and Northeast & Southeast India. As well as supporting local NGOs within these regions, Tzedek aims to develop the leadership skills of young Jewish leaders within the community to provide a long-term, sustainable solution to global poverty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plan International Egypt</span>

Plan International Egypt, also known locally as Plan Egypt, is a child right's non-governmental organization. It is part of the larger Plan International" children's rights INGO headquartered in the UK. It has no political or religious affiliations. Funding in Plan Egypt comes from a mixture of Sponsorship and grants. The Egypt country office is located in El-Manial al-Roda, Cairo, Egypt

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willemijn Verloop</span> Peace activist

Willemijn Verloop is a Dutch peace activist dedicated to children affected by war, and also the founder of War Child In 2012, she founded Social Enterprise NL, a platform for growing the Social enterprise sector in The Netherlands. In 2013, she founded impact investment fund Rubio Impact Ventures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeroo Billimoria</span> Indian businesswoman

Jeroo Billimoria is an Indian social entrepreneur and the founder of several international NGOs. Her work has been featured in several books. Her most recent initiatives include Aflatoun, Childline India Foundation and Child Helpline International. Her most recent initiative is Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI), which Jeroo founded in 2011.

Butterflies organisation established by Rita Panicker, is a registered voluntary organization that has been operating in Delhi since 1989. The organization focuses on assisting the vulnerable, particularly those who are living on streets and working on the streets. Employing a rights-based and participatory methodology, Butterflies aims to provide education and life skills to these children, ultimately empowering themto achieve self-reliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Child Helpline International</span>

Child Helpline International is a global network of 173 child helplines in 142 countries.

Global citizenship education (GCED) is a form of civic learning that involves students' active participation in projects that address global issues of a social, political, economic, or environmental nature. The two main elements of GCE are 'global consciousness'; the moral or ethical aspect of global issues, and 'global competencies', or skills meant to enable learners to participate in changing and developing the world. The promotion of GCE was a response by governments and NGOs to the emergence of supranational institution, regional economic blocs, and the development of information and communications technologies. These have all resulted in the emergence of a more globally oriented and collaborative approach to education. GCE addresses themes such as peace and human rights, intercultural understanding, citizenship education, respect for diversity and tolerance, and inclusiveness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Money Week</span>

Global Money Week (GMW) is a global money awareness celebration that takes place in March every year. It is coordinated by the Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI) Secretariat to raise awareness on Economic Citizenship and directly engage children and youth worldwide on the issue. The celebration of Global Money Week consists of a series of activities held at the regional, national and local level by the partners and stakeholders of the Child and Youth Finance Movement, and are geared toward engaging children, youth and their communities in learning about financial education and financial inclusion.

Foreign aid for gender equality in Jordan includes programs funded by governments or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that aim to empower women, close gender based gaps in opportunity and experience, and promote equal access to education, economic empowerment, and political representation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

References

  1. "Our Global Partner Network". Archived from the original on 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Human Rights Education in Asian Schools, Volume Twelve, Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center, Osaka, Japan
  3. "Monitoring & Evaluation - Aflatoun". www.aflatoun.org. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2022.